Press Releases
Sen. Coons’ statement on reports that President Trump attempted to fire Special Counsel Mueller
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to reports that President Trump attempted to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller last June. Last August, Senators Coons and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the Special Counsel Integrity Act, bipartisan legislation that would support the integrity of independent investigations by allowing judicial review if a special counsel is removed. "Reports that President Tr… Continue Reading
01.25.18
Sen. Coons’ op-ed in The News Journal: ‘Bankruptcy legislation could devastate Delaware’
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) authored an op-ed in The News Journal on a recently introduced Senate bill that could deny many American businesses the ability to access bankruptcy courts in Wilmington, Delaware. The News Journal: Bankruptcy legislation could devastate Delaware By Chris Coons If you find yourself at the intersection of Eighth and Market Streets in downtown Wilmington during the week, you'll be surrounded by a flurry of people and a… Continue Reading
01.24.18
Sen. Coons votes to confirm Alex Azar’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement announcing his support of President Trump's nomination of Alex Azar to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "After careful consideration, I've decided to support President Trump's nomination of Alex Azar to serve as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I have known Mr. Azar for several decades and have always been impressed with his inte… Continue Reading
01.24.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons concerned about upholding the blue slip tradition in Judiciary Committee nominations hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Michael Brennan, President Trump's nominee to be the U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I have expressed my concern repeatedly with the importance of upholding the blue slip as a way that we insist on the White House consulting with all senators and having a process that, regardless of partisanship, ensures that all senators' views are taken… Continue Reading
01.24.18
Senators introduce “most significant change in music licensing laws in decades” to ensure songwriters are paid fair value for their songs
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of eight senators today introduced legislation they said would be the "most significant change in music licensing laws in decades" to ensure songwriters are paid fair value for their songs. The Music Modernization Act would set up a new simplified licensing entity to make it easier for digital music companies to obtain a license and play songs. The entity will also ensure songwriters are paid the royalties they are owed. The bill would also change the law to help … Continue Reading
01.23.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on this weekend’s bipartisan negotiations: “My growing confidence in the Republicans in that group led me to believe we really have a chance at fixing this problem.”
WASHINGTON - This morning, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss his vote to end the government shutdown. "I have growing confidence in the group of Republican senators that were meeting with a group of Democrats for several days, we spent hours, I think a total of eight hours together fairly intensively over three days. I believe they are committed, several of them intensely committed to moving this issue forward in a positive way, and to working together to g… Continue Reading
01.22.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on the path forward to pass a DACA fix
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today joined MSNBC's Kasie Hunt to discuss the path forward on DACA. "What appeals to our base for some primary several years from now is not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about how to solve real problems and my gut is at the end of the day, that is what people are looking for in a next national leader as well. So, for my colleagues who are hoping that they might be on the ticket in 2020, I don't think simply moving further and further to lef… Continue Reading
01.22.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: “If the President is not going to be constructive, we need him to stay out of this”
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined CNN New Day this morning to discuss the government shutdown. "There is not a lot of trust here. That's how we got here. President Trump very famously in a vulgar exchange more than ten days ago now rejected a strong bipartisan deal that would have moved us forward. If the President is not going to be constructive, we need him to stay out of this and let the Senate be the Senate and resolve it. And I dedicated all of yesterday to meeting with… Continue Reading
01.19.18
Sens. Coons, Isakson statement on WTO decision that duties imposed by China on American chicken are unfair
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), co-chairs of the Senate Chicken Caucus, released the following statement in the wake of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ruling yesterday that China has failed to comply with an earlier ruling faulting them for anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on U.S. chicken imports. "We are very pleased with the World Trade Organization's decision supporting our position that duties imposed by China on U.S. chicken p… Continue Reading
01.18.18
Sen. Coons, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers File Brief in Crucially Important Supreme Court Privacy Case
Washington, DC- Today, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Chris Coons (D-DE), together with Representative Doug Collins (R-GA) and other bipartisan members of Congress, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in United States v. Microsoft Corp., also known as the Microsoft Ireland case. This crucially important case involves US law enforcement's authority to compel internet service providers and others to disclose information stored outside the United States to US law enforcement. Hatch and hi… Continue Reading
01.18.18
Carper, Coons Statement on the Trump Administration’s Proposal to Expand Oil and Gas Drilling off the Coast of Delaware
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) submitted the following statement ahead of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) workshop in Dover, Delaware regarding the Trump Administration's recent proposal to revise the current 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (Five-Year Plan) and potentially expand offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. Under the current… Continue Reading
01.18.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Graham-Durbin immigration deal: “I think if that gets to the floor, it gets 60 votes. The question is whether the President can hear yes”
Sen. Coons: House CR "doesn't address things that all of us are looking to solve, community health centers, disaster relief funding and DACA" Sen. Coons: "I hope in the time we still have, the days between now and Friday, that Republican and Democratic leaders will sit down and hammer out the framework of a deal the President will sign off on." WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, last night joined CNN's Wolf Blitzer to discuss possible go… Continue Reading
01.17.18
Senator Coons announces Class of 2022 U.S. Service Academy nominations
DOVER, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons today announced his U.S. Service Academy nominations for the Class of 2022. Three students have earned the Senator's principal nomination and will be offered academy appointments should they meet all medical, physical and academic requirements. Senator Coons has also submitted the names of 23 additional outstanding young Delawareans for consideration. Senator Coons also nominated 10 individuals to the United States Merchant Marine Academy. "Nominating thes… Continue Reading
01.17.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons discusses potential shutdown on Morning Joe: “Once again…the President is sort of jerking the wheel of the bus of our nation left and right, left and right”
Sen. Coons: Secretary Nielsen's testimony "suggested that part of being a loyal Cabinet member is not being truthful, even in sworn testimony before a Senate committee" Sen. Coons: "I think it's clearly the President's responsibility that he couldn't hear yes on a strong bipartisan group of senators made tough compromises and delivered the deal that he was looking for" WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the possible government shutdown an… Continue Reading
01.16.18
Sens. Carper, Coons join legislation to restore net neutrality
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined 48 of their colleagues in the Senate in supporting legislation to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) recent vote to repeal the net neutrality rule, officially known as the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing the net neutrality … Continue Reading
01.15.18
Sen. Coons statement on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "On what would be the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 89th birthday, I joined the Delaware State Bar Association, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Delaware State University and Raising Kings annual events to remark and reflect on Rev. King's life and legacy. We discussed how Rev. King was able to make the sacrifices that he did for our nation. "Rev. King chose … Continue Reading
01.12.18
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: “The President winks at or toys with or actively embraces racist instincts and gives voice to them”
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday joined CNN's Wolf Blitzer to discuss President Trump's latest comments on immigrants and North Korea. "This shows a president who at times is much more concerned about playing to his own base or continuing the nativist or at times racist themes of his campaign rather than governing successfully. He was on the verge of having exactly the bipartisan deal on addressing border security and… Continue Reading
01.11.18
Coons, Isakson reintroduce legislation to protect access to health insurance advice for Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons, D-Del., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would help protect access to professional advice and assistance for American consumers who are looking for affordable health insurance coverage that meets their personal needs. The Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act, S.2303, addresses a provision of the Affordable Care Act that has caused health insurance agents and brokers to struggle to stay in business a… Continue Reading
01.11.18
Sens. Coons, Tillis statement on Reuters journalists in Burma
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, released the following statement. "As co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, we urge the Burmese government to release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. By charging these journalists and continuing to restrict access to Rakhine State, Burmese authorities are impeding efforts to hold accountable the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya. We reite… Continue Reading
01.10.18
Senators Introduce Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) today introduced legislation to reform the Peace Corps. The Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018 would improve access to medical care for volunteers, strengthen accountability and oversight, and enhance procedures to reduce the risk of crime in the countries in which volunteers serve. The legislation is named in honor of Nick Castle, of Brentwood, Calif., who lost … Continue Reading
